Somethin' To Talk About
by Brooke Summers
Summary: AU; Life changes with every breathe we take. NH


Somethin' To Talk About

Author: Brooke Summers

Disclaimer: They're not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

Rating: PG for now, will become much higher in later chapters.

Pairing: Nathan/Haley, minor Lucas/Brooke, very minor Nathan/Peyton

Summary: AU: Life changes with every breathe we take.

Author's Notes: This is my very first foray into the world of fanfiction. I chose One Tree Hill, because I simply adore the characters, at least some of them., and wanted to play on the OTH sandbox for a little while. I sat down to write a short prologue, and ended up writing nine pages.

So, I hope everyone enjoys!

Onwards

****

~Prologue~

The two of them had been friends since pre-school.

They were born with six months of one another, and from the moment they laid eyes on one another, they were inseparable. They'd been in diapers together, they'd learned to walk together, they'd even spoken their first words at the same time. 

His had been "Haley."

Hers, "Nathan."

They climbed trees, they played in the sand, they made mud pies, and they refused to go to sleep at night unless they were able to tell the other goodnight. Which wasn't exactly a feat, since they lived next door to one another.

The blood oath they took in the first grade bound them together forever. The tentative kiss they shared a year later made them groan in disgust, and swear that they'd never want a boyfriend or a girlfriend.

They had each other, and they didn't need anyone else.

***

**_September 5, 2000_**

**__**

"Hey, Hales, you have last night's Biology homework done?"

Haley rolled her eyes, and dug through her locker, finally grasping her Chemistry notebook, "You are such a mooch, Nathan Scott, and I don't know if I should give this to you."

"Please?" He pouted, "You know how bad I am in anything science-related."

She shook her head, and wondered for the hundredth time why she couldn't seem to resist his pupp-dog eyes. "Alright," she said, handing him the notebook. "But this is the last time I let you copy."

He laughed, "You say that every day."

"And every day I mean it." She said, grabbing hold of his arm. "Now, hurry up, or we're going to be late for home room."

He laughed, and allowed her to pull him along.

***

"Today, class, you'll all be allowed a free period." The teacher announced.

The whole class cheered.

"But," she held up a finger. "This time must be spent signing up for whatever after-school activity you plan on joining." She eyed them all, "Which means you will spending the entire period in the cafeteria, pondering what you want to spend the next year participating in."

The entire class groaned, all but one smiling brunette.

Nathan glanced at her, and smirked, "What's got you all excited?" He whispered. "Could it be....the school dance team"

She nodded, smiling widely. "It's about time this school acknowledged my extraordinary talents in the arts."

He snickered, but secretly agreed with her.

"So what about you?" she whispered, "You gonna sign up for anything?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I'm just gonna skip, maybe hang out in the gym, and get a few hoops in before lunch."

"Nathan, when are you going to start being a team player! You know you're better than any of the idiots on the basketball team, so go, sign up, and kick all their asses!" She rambled.

He looked at her, "No way, you know how those guys are, they're a bunch of asshats."

"Nathan!" She whispered loudly, "For once, do something for yourself. You love basketball."

He shook his head again, brushing her off even as she pouted silently beside him.

***

Unbeknownst to both Haley and Nathan, there was another citizen of Tree Hill aware of Nathan's prowess on the basketball court. And he was currently watching Nathan as he scored basket after basket in the empty gym. He waited until the boy was bent over, panting, before he stepped forward.

"That's one hell of a jump shot you've got there, Mr. Scott."

Nathan jumped, and looked up to see the high school basketball coach staring at him. "Coach Whitey?" He said, "What are you doing here?"

Whitey grinned, and leaned back on his heels. "I'm watching the future star of my team." 

"Yeah, right." Nathan rolled his eyes, and turned to pick up his fallen basketball. "That'll be the day." 

"You know, your father played for me back when he was in high school." 

Nathan rolled his eyes again, "I'm well aware of that, Coach, he's extolled his skill on the court to me once or twice." He moved to make another jump shot, and grinned when it flew through the basket. "Anyway, I'm not in high school yet."

Whitey chuckled, "But you will be next year, and though I'm not known for my making exceptions, I don't think I've ever seen anyone with an arm that accurate," he paused for a moment, and looked at the boy. "Even your dad."

Nathan sighed in mock boredom, but inwardly he was thinking the idea over. He loved basketball, loved everything about the game. If this guy said he was good...maybe Haley was right. Maybe he should join the team.

He turned to Whitey with a smirk, "I'll think about it."

The older man laughed at the insolence he could feel coming off the boy in waves, but he knew interest when he saw it, and the young Scott was definitely intrigued by his proposal. "Alright, Nathan, you think about it." He tipped his head, and made his way across the shiny floor. 

The young boy stood staring after him, basketball hooked under his arm. "Coach!" He shouted.

Whitey grinned, and turned back. "Yeah?"

"Um, what time are try-outs at?"

***

Haley dug through her locker, scrambling to find her Geometry text that had somehow disappeared.

"Looking for this?" A voice said from up above.

She looked up into the girnning face of her best friend, and gave him a mock glare when she noticed the text in his hand. "Nathan!" She shouted, "What did you need that for?"

He shrugged, "I left mine at home, and I needed a head rest during seventh period." He winced when she smacked him across the chest with the thick book, "Ouch, Hales, where's the love?"

"You're such a pain, you know I needed that book."

"Ah, you're smart enough, you don't need this to pass math."

"I think Mr. Seigler might disagree with you."

"Mr. Seigler's a dick, and doesn't know his ass from his head." 

"Nathan!" Haley looked around cautiously. "Could you keep comments like that to yourself when we're in the very OPEN hallway! People could be listening."

He laughed, and picked up her backpack. He huffed at the weigh. "Jeez, Hales, what do you have in here, rocks?"

"No," she answered defensively. "I have my contribution to the first dance team meeting. You know you could still join, give me some moral support." She winked, "And I think you'd look cute in a pair of tights."

"Actually....I'mtryingoutforthebasketballteam." He said quickly.

"Um, what was that?" She cupped a hand around her ear. "Did you just say you were trying out for the basketball team?" 

"Yeah," he coughed.

"Nathan!" She squealed. "That's awesome!"

"Hales-"

"So, you talked to Coach Jackson about it?"

He looked down at his feet. "Um, no, I talked to Coach Whitey."

"Whitey?" She said, eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "But...he coaches the high school team!"

"Yeah, he said he thought I was good enough to join." Nathan mumbled.

"Oh my god, Nathan, that's amazing!" She slid her arm through his, and started tugging him down the hall. "You have to tell me all about it! Oh, I'm so coming to watch the try-outs! You're going to kick all those high schooler's asses!"

He jerked them both to a stop, "Hales, I'm probably not going to even make the first cut. Please don't make a big deal about this." 

"But, Nathan, this is a big deal!" She shouted, catching the eye of passerby's. She blushed, and continued in a lower voice, "You are going to make it, and when you do I'm granting myself the privilege of a great big 'I told you so!'"

He shook his head, and looked down at her in exasperation, but she could see the smile playing on his lips. "Whatever you say, Haley."

She grinned, and grabbed his arm again, and the two of them ran through the halls, wide smiles on both faces.

***

Nathan took a deep breath, and pushed open the gym doors, Haley at his back. They could both hear the sound of sneakers squeaking on the floor, and loud shouts from the Whitey. Nathan put on his cocky face, and ran over to him. 

"Hey, Coach, I thought you said four o'clock?"

Whitey glared, "I did, you're late. It's five after."

"But-"

"No buts, Scott, if you wanna play with the big boys you better learn to be here on time."

Nathan growled inwardly, but nodded at the coach. "Okay, Coach."

"Good, now, you're on the white team, suit up over there, and make it snappy." 

Nathan growled aloud this time, and didn't notice the grin Whitey wore as he turned to the bleachers, where a jersey lay. He quickly put it on, and noticed Haley sitting up in the bleachers. He hadn't realized she'd moved up there.

"Hey, Hales, how do I look?"

She wolf-whistled, and stage-whispered down to him, "Can't wait to see what you look like in a real Ravens jersey." 

"Scott!" Whitey shouted behind him, "Stop talking to your girlfriend and get your butt on the floor."

Nathan flushed, but followed the older man's orders.

Haley laughed.

"Hey, you!" Whitey shouted, pointing at Haley, "You better leave unless you're planning on trying out for the team! We don't allow spectators during try-outs!"

Haley shot up, "No! No, I'm not, I'm sorry, sir!" She glanced around frantically, looking for a good place to hide. She wanted to watch Nathan cream all these older guys, but Whitey was glaring at her, arms crossed. Her eyes lit upon the cheerleading try-outs on the other side of the gym, and she had a moment of inspiration. "I'm here for the cheerleading try-outs, coach!" She could just hide over there, ane pretend to try-out while she watched Nathan.

"Then get on over there and stop distracting Mr. Scott!"

She looked over to see Nathan staring at them in curiosity.

"Yes, sir, I'm going right now!" What the hell, she could do this, and she was in practice gear for the dance team anyway. She jogged down the bleachers, and over to where a giggling group of high school girls stood. She met Nathan's eyes as she passed by him, and stuck her tongue out at him.

He snickered.

***

"And one, two, three, four–remember, big smiles, girls!" The perky blonde in front of the group called. Haley rolled her eyes, but moved with the rest of the group. She moved expertly through all the steps, and kept her eyes focused on Nathan.

"Okay, that was great!" The perky blonde continued, "Now, we're going to be moving onto individual assessment. When I call out your name, I'd like you to step forward and follow along with me."

The group nodded, and they all moved to sit on the bleachers, all but one waiting eagerly for their name to be called, so they could show off their amazing talents. 

Haley just sat back, trying not to yawn, and stared over at the eager boys vying for positions on the elite Ravens team. She was so busy watching Nathan easily score baskets, that she didn't hear her name until the girl next to her nudged her shoulder.

"You're Haley, right?"

"Yeah." Haley answered, before noticing everyone staring at her. "Oh!" She jumped up, "Sorry, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." 

She smiled at the perky blonde, who wasn't looking so perky anymore. In fact, the older girl was glaring at Haley, and tapping her foot. "I'm sorry that we're keeping you, Ms. James."

"No, no, I'm really sorry." Haley stammered. "I was just watching my best friend, he's trying out for the basketball team, and I'm kind of his personal...er, cheerleader."

The blonde perked up at that, "That's great! You're already feeling the cheerleading vibes!" She grinned, and motioned for another girl to start the music again. "Okay, Haley, now if you could just follow me." She began dancing, her back turned towards Haley.

Haley copied each motion perfectly, completely in sync with the other girl. She kept the smile on her face, and started to get into the movements. She felt like she was dancing, and didn't even notice when the perky blonde stopped moving and turned back to her. She just kept moving to her own beat, creating her own steps.

It was actually kind of fun.

When she finally noticed she was the only one still moving, she stopped, and blushed. "Er, sorry, I kind of got caught up in the music." She looked at the blonde, and gave an embarrassed smile that fell away when she noticed a calculated gleam in the older girl's eyes.

"Haley, have you ever cheered before?"

Haley shook her head, "No, but I have been dancing for ten years." She said, regretting it the instant it left her mouth, because the blonde's eyes lit up the moment the words escaped.

She clapped her hands, and turned to the rest of the group, "Okay, everyone, that's all for today. The names of those who've made the first cut will be posted tomorrow in the quad." She smiled at the hopeful girls, as they began to exit the gym. 

Haley sighed, and made her way to the bleachers to get her backpack. Nathan had probably seen the whole thing, he so wasn't going to let her live this down.

"Haley!" 

The brunette turned around, and noticed the perky blonde jogging over to her. 

"Hi, Haley, I'd just like to say that I was extremely impressed by your performance, and I can guarantee that you'll be making the squad this year." 

"But I...I thought this was only the first cut-"

"That's just formality," the blonde said, looking down at her clipboard. "Your name sounds familiar, are you related to Jamie?"

Haley nodded jerkily, "She's my sister, but, listen, about the squad-"

"Wow, I didn't know Jamie had a sister in high school!" The blonde said, "She's what? Attending Brown right now?"

"Yea, but um....I'm not in high school." Haley said, and the blonde looked up at her in shock. 

"You're not? But...well, what grade are you in?"

"Eighth."

The blonde looked troubled, but her face cleared after a moment. "I don't think that'll be a problem, we've never had anyone from the junior high on the squad, but I think in your case we'll make an exception."

"Oh, but-" 

"It's alright, I'll talk to the rest of the squad." Haley sighed as the blonde cut her off again. "Even they were impressed by your performance out there, and that's saying something." The blonde chuckled, "Not all of them are as accepting as I am." She sighed, "Anyway, I know you're going to make an excellent addition the our pack." 

Haley wondered just what was happening, and why she wasn't objecting to anything the blonde was saying. She was just standing there, nodding at the older girl. 

"Okay, so I'm going to need you to be here tomorrow at the same time, okay?"

Haley nodded dumbly.

"Great!" The blonde smiled, "I just know you're going to be what we need to step it up a notch." She patted Haley's shoulder, and jogged back across to where the rest of the squad was huddled.

Haley stood there for a second more before she shook her head in amazement, and made her way over to the exit.

***

"Hey, pom-pom girl, what was that all about in there?"

Haley stared up at Nathan, and wrinkled her nose, "Ew, Scott, ever heard of deodorant?" She yelped when he pulled her into a tight embrace, rubbing his sweaty body all over hers. "Nathan! You're so disgusting!"

He pulled back, "Nice try, James, but you'll have to do better than that." He smirked at her, "So, tell me, what were you doing in there?"

"Apparently joining the cheerleading team." 

"What?!" His eyes went saucer-wide. "You? Haley James, hater of all things cheer-related, dance-snob extraordinaire, are going to be a cheerleader?"

"The...perky blonde captain kind of caught me with her strangely kind claws. She was all, 'You're like, so awesome, please save us all with your extraordinary abilities.'" She said dramatically, then flushed. "I don't even know who she was."

Nathan broke into gales of laughter.

Haley smacked his arm roughly, "Hey! You know I can't say no! Even to a cheerleader! Who was surprisingly nice by the way, if a little too perky." 

"This is so surreal," he said, his laughter finally dying. "You, a cheerleader. Next thing you know, the devil will fly by on ice skates."

"Stop it, you jerk, I'm very fragile at the moment."

"Yeah right, you're real fragile." He threw an arm around her shoulder, and grabbed her backpack out of her hand, hefting it once again onto his shoulder. "So, what about the dance team?"

She sighed, "I guess that's out. But....I was kind of having fun in there, it's sort of like dancing, except you have to shout a lot." She looked at him, "So, enough about me, what happened during your try-out? I thought I saw the coach pull you aside while the others were leaving."

"Yeah, he did." Nathan said, smiling. "He kind of told me that I was already on the team."

Haley stopped walking.

"Nathan, that's wonderful!" She enveloped him in a tight embrace, and he dropped the two backpacks and pulled her to him. 

"So, you gonna say you told me so?"

She smiled against his shoulder, and leaned back to look up into his eyes. "I'll make a deal with you – you don't pick on me for being a cheerleader, and I won't say anything of the sort."

He grinned, "Why would I make fun? You being a cheerleader just means we won't miss out on best friend time." He laughed at her look of confusion, "You know, because the cheerleaders and the jocks always hang out together." He moved away before she could slap him. 

"What are you saying, you jerk, that if I wasn't going to be a cheerleader, you'd stop hanging out with me?" 

"Well, yeah, you wouldn't be cool enough," he joked, before turning to run down the hall.

"Ass/hole! I'm so going to get you for that!"

She took off after him, their backpacks forgotten on the floor, as the sound of happy laughter echoed through the empty hall.

***

~Part One~

****

~Junior Year~

"Hey, Hales, you have last night's Calculus homework done?"

Haley rolled her eyes, and dug around in her locker. Some thing never change, she thought, as she pulled the notebook from the top rack, and handed it to Nathan. "You know, Nate, some day you're going to have to do your own work."

He leaned back, and shrugged, "Not likely."

"What about college? It's only two years away, Nathan, and you can't ride on my coattails forever." She joked. 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and tugged her close. "But I can, Hales, because I know you'll never leave me alone in the big, bad world of college. And anyway, I'll be able to skate by on a basketball scholarship." he breathed, breathe coasting across her cheek.

Haley shivered.

"Nathan-"

"Hey, Haley." A voice interrupted next to them. Haley looked away from Nathan, ignoring his loud sigh, and smiled brightly at the newcomer. 

"Oh, hey, Lucas. How did you do on that pop quiz yesterday?" She elbowed Nathan when she saw the glare forming on his face.

Lucas looked down, mumbling, "I..er...got an A."

"That's great," She said, before grimacing. "I managed to pull a C+, but that's better than nothing, right?"

Lucas looked at her then, and smiled hopefully, "If you want, I can help you study. After school, or, um, something like that. I love reading it, teaching it can't be much harder." He glanced at Nathan, somewhat anxiously, "I mean...if you have the time."

"Wow, that would really help-"

"Gee, would you look at the time," Nathan cut in, glaring at the boy who was staring at his best friend with a lovesick look in his eyes. "Hales and I really need to get to class, Lenny." He grabbed her backpack, and her arm, and started pulling her down the hall. 

Haley tried tugging her arm out of his grasp, but he kept a tight hold until they were almost to class. Then he finally let her go.

"Dammit, Nathan!" She shouted, "What the hell was that?!" 

"Hales-"

"No," she said, grabbing her backpack from his arms. "No way am I letting you run my life. If I want to hang out with a friend-"

"I thought *I* was your friend!" He shouted.

"You are!" She returned, "But you're not my only friend!" She shook her head, hair swinging angrily. "God, you are such a drama queen."

"Fine." He said, eyes flashing. "If you want to hang out with that loser instead of me, then be my guest." He crossed his arms, "But you know the only reason he wants to "study" is to get into your pretty, pristine panties." 

Haley gasped, her eyes filling. 

Nathan immediately looked contrite. "Hales, I didn't mean-"

She shook her head, feeling the tears start to fall, "No, Nathan, you meant exactly what you said." She said, before turning, and running back down the hall.

"Haley!" He shouted. "Haley, I'm sorry!"

Nathan stood there, staring after her for a moment, before turning to punch a nearby locker. 

"Fuck!" 

***

Tears streamed down Haley's cheeks, as she sat against the wall of the third floor bathroom. She couldn't believe that Nathan has said....that.

The boy really knew how to push her buttons. Knew how to hurt her badly, even when he wasn't trying. Of course, he was her best friend. He'd known her forever. That was why she didn't understand when he said such hurtful things. Granted, he never really tried to hurt her intentionally. She knew that he blurted things out like that because he had some kind of fear of losing her. 

He'd told her as much before.

But that still didn't give him the right to say things like that. To try and keep her from hanging out with boys other than him. Nathan was such a possessive creature, and it irked her when he tried to control her life.

"Argh!" She screamed.

"Ahhh!" 

Haley jumped as a voice echoed her scream from another stall, and she jumped up. "Um...hello?"

"Um...hi." The voice said, sounding nervous. 

"Sorry," Haley apologized, "I didn't mean to...scream like that." 

"No, it's alright.....sometimes you need to get that kind of stuff out." The voice continued, sounding warmer. "It helps."

Haley nodded, and stepped out of the stall. She waited for the other door to open, and attempted to smile when a curly, blonde head popped out. 

The blonde smiled, "I'm Peyton Sawyer."

Haley's smile became full-fledged, "Haley James." 

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, before they broke into laughter. Stomachs shaking, the two of them leaned against the tiled walls, and laughed wildly. When they finally calmed down enough, they looked at each other again, and smiled.

"So, you're the first person I've met since I moved here." Peyton said. "I hope that everyone is as nice."

"Well, I'm a little bit...abnormal." Haley answered, "Not everyone is as friendly. Nathan says I'm a Tree Hill anomaly." She said without thinking.

"Nathan?" Peyton asked, "He your boyfriend?"

Haley snickered, "God, no, he's my best friend. But sometimes, he really...makes me want to-"

"Scream?"

"Yeah, he's the cause behind the scream. We just had a fight, and he made this really hurtful comment, and it kind of made me wanna kill him. I thought it would be better if I let myself cool down before I clocked him one. He's such a jerk sometimes! I mean he get so stupid when I talk to people other than him....and I can't believe I'm telling you this." 

Petyon laughed, "It's cool. 

"Hey, come on," Haley picked up her backpack. "I'll help you find your class."

"That'd be great, this place is just, *so* huge." Petyon offered dryly.

"Yeah, tell me about it. We put the small in small town."

***

Nathan sat in the back of English with a scowl on his face. He kept looking up at the clock, wishing that the class would end so he could go fix the mess he'd made.

Haley was going to be rip-shit with him, and he knew that it was well-deserved. He couldn't believe that those words had come from his mouth. What was he thinking? 

The little voice in his head told him that he'd known exactly. He'd known that Lucas Walker was interested in Haley, and he'd wanted to do something, anything, to stop someone from invading his territory.

The bell sounded, and Nathan grabbed his things, and ran from the room.

***

"Okay, everyone, let's work on that last cheer one more time. And, Brooke, could you try it with less....movement?" 

Brooke chuckled, "Okay, Hales, I'll try." She swivelled her hips, "But you know that I can't control my body."

"Yeah, I know," Haley said, chuckling herself. 

"And so does half the basketball team." A familiar voice joked from behind them.

Haley stiffened, "You know what girls, let's forget that last cheer. I'm suddenly feeling nauseated." She made her way over to the bleachers and reached for her bag, ignoring the looming presence behind her.

"Hales, you've gotta talk to me sometime."

"Actually, I don't believe I do." She said, evenly, turning to him. "In fact, if you don't leave me alone, I will be forced to shove this pom-pom up your ass." 

"Okay, I deserved that." He sighed, "Look, you know that I didn't mean what I said. You're...you're my best friend, Haley, I just get...angry sometimes."

"It's not just sometimes anymore!" She said angrily. "It's *all* the time! I can't even hang out with Brooke without you giving me the third degree." She shook her pom-poms at him. "You're my best friend, Nathan, *not* my boyfriend! And even if you were, don't think that I'd let you treat me the way you did this morning!" 

"I know, I know!" He said, "I know I was an asshole. I know I deserve everything you have to say to me, and more. I know that if you don't speak to me ever again, I deserve that too." He looked down, trying to calm himself, before looking back up into her eyes. "And I know that one day I'll lose you, to Lucas or to someone else who isn't good enough for you. And that's what scares me." He let out a self-effacing chuckle, "Fuck, I'm such a girl."

"God, Nathan, why didn't you tell me this before. I mean, I knew you had concerns, but not this....this..." her voice trailed off as she looked into honest, brown eyes.

"This insane?" He asked, edging closer to her.

Haley looked away, "This intense."

"Hales," he grasped her hand. "You know I love you, right?" 

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm your best friend."

Nathan smiled, "Then you know that I hate hurting you. And I know that this morning I did that. So, as *your* best friend, I'm asking you forgive me for being an asshole."

Haley sighed, and tried to fight back the smile she could feel forming on her lips. She hated this, she hated that Nathan could hurt her, and then turn around and make her feel like an idiot. But, he was Nathan, and he was her best friend.

She was kind of used to it by now.

"Okay, I'll forgive you, but only on one condition, and you have to agree to it before I tell you what it is."

He gave her a fearful glance, he knew what kind of "conditions" Haley had. "I'm a little scared, but since I'm the one that screwed up, I'll agree with your condition."

"Yay!" Haley squealed, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "We're going to have so much fun!" She pulled away, and grabbed her gear, smiling widely at Nathan. "I'll pick you up at eight!"

"Pick me up for what?!" He shouted as she ran towards the gym doors. "What's the condition, Haley?!"

She turned around, still moving towards the exit, "It's a surprise!" And with an evil grin, she was out of the gym, leaving Nathan standing alone, a frown on his face.

"Shit, she's really going to make me pay."

TBC.....


End file.
